By Garry 
Chicory: sowing, planting, growing and harvesting
Learn when to sow, plant, care for and harvest chicory in your garden.
🌱 Chicory : key growing facts
📅 Growing calendar
Indicative Northern Hemisphere temperate-climate calendar only. Adjust to local frost dates, climate, variety and growing conditions. In the Southern Hemisphere, seasons are approximately six months later.
🔎 Growing specifications
🧺 Harvest readiness & expected yield
When to pick
Harvest when the edible part reaches the desired size and quality. Handle carefully and store promptly using methods suited to this crop.
What to expect
Varies by variety, climate and care
Indicative only; variety, climate and care affect harvests.🌿 How to grow successfully
🤝 Companion planting
Interplant with slower-growing crops where light and water are sufficient.
↔️ What to avoid
Avoid hot dry conditions that encourage bolting and bitter leaves.
🐛 Pests and diseases
Check regularly for aphids, slugs and fungal disease.
🧤 Ongoing care
Pick regularly and provide shade during hot spells.
🧺 Harvest and storage
Harvest tender leaves before they toughen; wash, dry and refrigerate promptly.
🧑🌾 From sowing to harvest
Prepare the soil
Make a fine, moisture-retentive seedbed enriched with finished compost.
Sow or transplant
Sow shallowly in short succession batches; thin plants so leaves can develop freely.
What to monitor
Check for bolting, slugs, aphids and leaf scorching during heatwaves.
When and how to harvest
Harvest when the edible part reaches the desired size and quality. Handle carefully and store promptly using methods suited to this crop.